We’re gearing up for an exciting month here at The Refinishing Touch. Each week we’ll be profiling an industry we’re closely affiliated with, showcasing work being done to promote sustainability and climate change. Each sector is different and we think by providing you with a view of what we see in each will provide you a better appreciation of how leaders in each field are improving the environment. We hope to inspire and encourage each one of you to think about ways that you too can help.
The series kicks off with a spotlight on the hospitality industry, which (as you may know) we’re very closely involved with. Hotels are more conscious than ever about the work they do environmentally not only because of the positive impact that environmentally conscious decision-making has, but also because hotel guests are more aware of ‘green efforts’ than ever before. Days like Earth Day are excellent opportunities for hotels and resorts to show off and celebrate the work they’ve done and continue to do in the name of sustainability. With Earth Day getting closer (April 22), many hotels are creating programs to encourage Earth Day participation from guests all month long, and even afterward.
In Ohio for instance, The Lodge at Geneva-on-the-Lake, is encouraging local elementary students together with Boy and Girl Scout troops to participate in a aluminum can collection drive, to take place in the week before. Whichever group collects the most, receives a pool and pizza party at the end of the school year. While not paying dividends immediately, The Lodge is showing the benefits and rewards to recycling to a much younger generation, and quite possibly creating future guests — pizza and pool parties tend to stick in young children’s minds.
Other hotels have begun pulling out all the stops. At the Charles Hotel in Boston, MA, followers of its Twitter feed will receive green tips of the day throughout April, and will find them throughout their stay at the hotel via iPads at check-in and elevator information screens.
But it’s not just informative programs that hotels are starting. The Charles Hotel has created a package for guests, which includes a two night stay in one of the hotel’s deluxe guestrooms, a signed cookbook from renowned sustainable chef, Peter Davis and full use of the hotel’s bike rental system.
Whether it’s through community involvement or programs tailored to an entire green initiative, hotels are going beyond Earth Day to promote a positive change for our environment.